Hard bounce vs soft bounce
A soft bounce is a temporary problem, such as a full mailbox or a server that is down, and the email may get through later. A hard bounce will fail every time.
Why hard bounces matter
Email providers watch how many of your emails bounce. A high hard bounce rate suggests an old or bought list and hurts your sender reputation, so more of your emails end up in spam folders.
How to reduce hard bounces
- Remove hard-bounced addresses straight away; most email tools do this automatically.
- Use double opt-in, so new subscribers confirm their address.
- Never buy email lists, and clean old lists before you send to them.
- Keep your hard bounce rate well under 2%.
Hard bounce example
A company imports an old list of 10,000 addresses it last emailed three years ago. The first send shows a hard bounce rate of 9%: many people have left their jobs and the addresses no longer exist. The mailbox providers notice, the sender reputation falls, and even the emails to good addresses begin to land in spam. The company removes the bounced addresses, cleans the list and starts sending to engaged people only.
Hard bounce handling checklist
- Make sure your email tool removes hard-bounced addresses automatically.
- Check the bounce report after every campaign.
- Validate or confirm addresses at sign-up, ideally with a confirmation email.
- Never send to a list you bought or scraped.
- Investigate a sudden rise: it can point to a form being filled with fake addresses.
Hard bounce mistakes
- Keeping hard-bounced addresses on the list and sending again.
- Mixing up hard bounces with spam complaints, which are more serious.
- Importing old lists with no re-permission campaign.
Hard bounce FAQs
What is a normal hard bounce rate?
Aim to keep it very low, well under 1% on a healthy list. Providers may set their own limits. See soft bounces and email lists.
Does it hurt deliverability?
Yes. See email marketing and DMARC.